Be My Love
by DaLiza
Summary: Booth and Brennan struggle to keep their hot new romance hidden from the FBI. Sequel to Be My Date.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Thanks as always to my phenomenal beta CalleighAryn for her support and suggestions. **

**AN2: Next Friday (December 28), Eric Millegan will be singing the national anthem at a Portland Trailblazers game! CalleighAryn and I will be there—anyone else planning to go?**

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Booth was afraid to open his eyes.

He told himself that he was being stupid. There were times when being afraid made sense, like when he was an army ranger in a hostile country, or when a psycho killer set his sights on him—or worse, Parker or Bones. Right now, however, he was safe, lying in a comfortable bed, and, as far as he knew, no one he loved was in mortal danger. As Bones would say, it wasn't _logical_ to be afraid…and yet the thought that last night's lovemaking might be nothing more than a dream was truly terrifying.

It had to be a dream, right? Bones hadn't really invited him into her bedroom. They hadn't "broken the laws of physics" again…and again….and again. She hadn't whispered that she loved him when she thought he was asleep. The whole night had been the stuff of his fantasies, so it must have been a dream. When he opened his eyes, he would find that he was in his own bed in his own apartment. Today was no different than any other day. He would get dressed, go to work, and pretend that he didn't dream about tearing his partner's clothes off and making love to her all night long.

On the other hand, his dreams about Bones weren't usually this vivid. Maybe, just maybe, those things had really happened. If he were brave enough to open his eyes, he might see that he was in _her_ bedroom, in _her_ bed. With his eyes still closed, he raised his hands in prayer._ Please, please, God, let me wake up next to Bones. _ A few moments later he lowered his hands guiltily, realizing that it was probably sinful to pray that he had had lots of hot premarital sex with his partner. He imagined his Catholic school teachers scowling at him, but he hoped God would understand. After all, He was the one who had made her so beautiful, so amazing, so…so Bones.

Accepting that he couldn't keep his eyes closed forever, he took a deep breath and opened them. He found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. _So far, so good. _His eyes moved down to the sheets on the bed. Definitely not his. These sheets were a different color and much nicer than the ones on his bed. With high hopes he turned his head…and was rewarded with the sight of his sleeping partner. His sleeping, _naked_ partner. If Bones wanted proof that the man upstairs existed, Booth had just found it.

God, she was breathtaking…and gorgeous…and incredible…and wonderful. Booth could spend all day with a thesaurus and still not describe the depth of feelings that welled up inside him whenever he looked at her. As he watched her now, her face illuminated by the early morning sunlight, he couldn't tear his eyes away. He was thinking that she seemed perfectly peaceful and content when he saw her shiver. Instantly he brought her into his arms, happily sharing his body heat. Bones would never have to worry about being cold while Seeley Booth was in her bed.

As he held her close, he fell asleep again, dreaming about her until her shrieking alarm clock pulled him back into the waking world. His first instinct was to curse the alarm for interrupting such pleasant dreams, but his annoyance melted away when he discovered his partner still in his arms. Having Bones beside him in real life was much better than any dream.

"Good morning," he said, flashing the charm smile he reserved just for her.

"Good morning," she echoed, returning the smile as she opened her eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

Booth almost laughed. _We didn't exactly get a lot of sleep in last night. _"Yeah. Your bed is very comfortable."

She ran her hands along his biceps. "You're welcome to sleep in it anytime."

"Th--thanks." _Wow. That's the hottest thing anyone's ever said to me._ "Did you sleep alright?"

She nodded. "I did, but now it's time to get up."

"It can't be," he pouted. "What time is it?"

"Five."

"Five in the morning?" _ Well it's obviously not five at night. Great job impressing her with your intelligence. _ "I mean, that's _so _early. Let's stay in bed for at least a few more minutes. Please?" _Now I sound like Parker when he's begging for a new toy._

He could see that she was considering it. "I had planned to go to the lab early--"

"The lab isn't going anywhere, and no one's going to touch your bones." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "Well, no one but me." He moved his hands down her back, tracing her spine. After years of holding himself back, he was grateful that he could touch her like this, that he could feel Bones' bones beneath her smooth skin. When he saw that beautiful mouth of hers open (presumably to argue with him), he kissed her tenderly. "Have I convinced you, or should I kiss you again?"

"Kiss me again."

He gladly did as he was told. "Well?"

She smiled. "Ten more minutes."

"Twenty."

"Fifteen."

"Deal."

After fifteen minutes of kissing and snuggling was up, he still wasn't ready to let her go. "I need to take a shower," she argued.

"No, you don't. You smell wonderful." He started kissing his way down her body.

"Boooooth…," she moaned. He loved the sounds she made and the way she said his name when his mouth was on her. "Come with me," she whispered.

"You know I will," he promised between increasingly passionate kisses.

Her words came out in gasps. "I meant… you… come… to_… _shower…with me…save water."

Booth found that he was equally breathless. "Okay…anything…for the…to help the… environ…ment." He jumped out of bed and pulled her with him into the shower, continuing to kiss her everywhere as the hot water rolled down his back. He was feeling very proud of the effect he was having on her when she turned the tables on him, using her skilled hands and mouth to make him moan and shout her name—her real name. If he had been thinking clearly he might have been worried about waking the neighbors, but the only thought in his head was that he never wanted her to stop. When they were both satisfied, they took their time scrubbing each other clean.

Booth grabbed towels for them when Bones turned the shower off. _Who knew that getting ready_ _for work could be so much fun?_

XXXXXXXXXX

As Booth entered the FBI building two hours later, he was smiling from ear to ear. He wouldn't have thought it was possible to be this happy on a Monday morning.

"Congratulations, Booth," Agent Sanders said as he and his partner, Agent Lin, passed him in a corridor.

"What?" Booth stopped mid-stride. Although his body was in the Hoover building, his mind had been back in the shower with Bones. He had no idea what Sanders had said.

The two men turned around and smirked at him. "Congratulations," Sanders repeated.

"For what?" Booth asked.

Sanders and Lin exchanged a glance, silently asking each other if Booth was serious. "For finally banging that hot doctor of yours," Lin answered.

Booth prayed that his face wouldn't give him away. "What are you talking about?" _How the hell do these guys know that I slept with Bones? No, they can't know. There's no way… unless we were being watched. Oh God, if someone saw everything we did last night and this morning, he'd be selling tickets._

Sanders laughed. "Come on, Booth. Everyone knows that you and your partner hooked up in the bathroom at Jimmy's reception."

_Oh, that. Of all the people who could have seen us leaving the bathroom together, it had to be Kal Roberts, the biggest mouth in the Bureau. _ "Dr. Brennan and I have a strictly professional relationship." _It's not unprofessional to make love to your partner when you're off the clock and in the privacy of her bedroom…or bathroom._

Sanders' mouth settled into an unpleasant smile. "Sure. That explains why you held her so close when you were dancing."

"And why it took you five minutes to put that garter on her leg," Lin put in.

_It was hardly five minutes. Maybe one… or two…or two and a half? I don't know. When Bones asked me to touch her, time stopped. Anyway, it's none of your damn business. _"I have work to do," Booth spat. He tried to walk away, but Sanders and Lin blocked his path.

"Hey, no one blames you," Lin said. "If I had caught the garter, I would have taken my time too."

Sanders nodded. "Amen to that. I wouldn't have given it away like that dumb kid Charlie." He turned to his partner. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he was afraid that Booth would beat him up for touching his girl," Lin reasoned. "Or that he would shoot him like he shot that ice cream truck."

_I don't normally shoot people I work with (unless they're trying to kill my partner), but I might be willing to make an exception in your case. _"Dr. Brennan isn't my _girl_. She's a woman—a strong, independent woman who's a lot smarter than the two of you put together."

"We already know she's a genius," Sanders retorted. "Tell us something we don't know…like what it's like to tap that ass."

_Don't let them get to you. They might be jerks, but they're still FBI agents. If you kick their asses right here in the hallway, you'll get suspended. If you get suspended, you can't work with Bones. _"Are you asking me what it's like because you've never been with a woman before? It's a lot of fun. You guys should try it sometime." Booth pushed his way past them and continued walking down the corridor.

When he reached his office, he slammed the door behind him. How dare those bastards talk about Bones that way! They were acting like she was nothing more than a conquest to him. They were just jealous. It was a safe bet that neither of them had ever loved a woman as deeply as he loved Bones. If he wasn't so angry, he might have felt sorry for them. While he had spent last night making love to the incomparable Temperance Brennan, they had probably been sitting at home alone watching television and drinking cheap beer.

He wondered if it was true that everyone thought he and Bones had hooked up at Jimmy's wedding. Should he prepare himself for more agents smirking at him and making rude comments about his partner? If they talked crap to him alone, he would handle it, but what if they were stupid enough to say something obscene to Bones and she hit them? She had already hit Kal once. Cullen would be pissed if he heard that his partner was going around assaulting FBI agents, even if they deserved it.

Booth's stomach turned at the thought of his boss. Cullen hadn't been at the wedding, but he could have heard about the lies Kal was spreading. If Cullen believed that he and Bones were romantically involved, he could terminate their partnership. Maybe Kal or Sanders or Lin or any of the other agents who had been lusting after her at the wedding would become her new partner. He imagined Kal kneeling beside her at a crime scene, putting his arm around her, looking at her with those lecherous eyes, plotting to get her into bed...no, he couldn't let that happen.

He pushed the disgusting image out of his mind and buried himself in paperwork. A couple hours later, when he left his office to use the bathroom, he noticed his fellow agents regarding him with curious stares. Some even smiled or winked at him. When he returned to his office, he decided that he needed to get out of the building for a while before he hurt someone. He and Bones didn't have a case at the moment, but maybe he could invent some excuse for going to the Jeffersonian. He looked through his pile of paperwork, hoping to find an incomplete form or something she had forgotten to sign. Unfortunately, everything was in order. Why did she have to be so organized all the time? _Screw it. I'll think of something on the way._

He had grabbed his jacket and car keys and was halfway out the door when his phone rang. He was tempted to ignore it, but his sense of duty would not be denied. "Booth," he said into the phone.

A female voice responded. It took Booth a few seconds to recognize the voice as belonging to Cullen's secretary, Alice. "Agent Booth, Deputy Director Cullen would like to see you in his office."

"When?" Booth asked, although he was fairly sure he knew the answer.

"Now."

"Of course. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and swore. _Maybe his wanting to see me has nothing to do with the rumors about me and Bones…or maybe I'm totally screwed._

**Thanks for reading! Reviews make the best Christmas presents. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and to my brilliant beta CalleighAryn. Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. I may not be able to update this story as frequently as I'd like, but I promise to finish it.**

**AN2: Seeing Eric Millegan sing at the Trail Blazers game was awesome, if a bit strange (he has facial hair!). You can check out his performance on YouTube or the Searching Bones website. **

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Brennan told herself not to smile.**  
**

She enjoyed her work at the Jeffersonian immensely, but it wasn't customary for her to walk around the lab smiling. If she smiled now, people would ask her why she was so happy, and she wasn't about to tell her colleagues that it was because she had spent the night—and a good part of the morning—fulfilling biological urges with her insatiable partner. The memory of his naked body in her shower, streams of hot water racing down his muscular torso, threatened to shatter her composure, but she managed to keep her expression neutral as she strode across the lab and into her office. She was congratulating herself on her successful charade when Angela threw open her door.

"You had sex last night," Angela declared after she closed the door behind her and sat across from Brennan's desk.

_I should have known that I couldn't fool Angela._ "Was my body language that obvious?"

"No, it was the fact that you were late for work. The last time you were late was when you were with Sully, and the time before that you were with Michael."

"I'm only ten minutes late." _That's impressive considering our lengthy shower and Booth's insistence on making us that enormous breakfast. I might have been on time if he had let me help clean up. _ "I could have been stuck in traffic."

"If you were stuck in traffic, you wouldn't be smiling right now," Angela said. "So was it Booth? _Please_ tell me it was Booth!"

Brennan smiled at Angela's enthusiasm. "Yes, it was Booth."

Angela let out a painfully high squeal. "How was it? How was he? Tell me _everything_."

Brennan shuffled the files on her desk and turned on her computer. "Ange, I have a lot of work to do."

"You can't tell me that you slept with Booth and then hide behind your work! You're a talented woman, Bren. You can work and gossip at the same time."

"I don't want to gossip," Brennan said, staring at her computer to avoid Angela's gaze. She hadn't minded telling Angela about sexual encounters with Sully or any of her previous lovers, because that had been just sex. What she and Booth shared had been much more intimate.

"Why? Was it that bad?" Angela said sympathetically. She placed her hand on top of Brennan's.

"No!" Brennan blurted out, much more loudly than she had intended.

Angela squeezed her hand with bone-crushing force. "I knew it! Give me details and I'll let you get back to work, I promise."

Realizing that Angela wouldn't leave her office until she told her something about last night's activities, Brennan searched her mind for the right words. "It was…amazing." She felt heat rush to her face as she spoke. _That's the understatement of the year._

"And…?" Angela prompted.

"And what?" _How much detail does she expect me to give?_

Angela laughed at her friend's puzzled expression. "You're a best selling author, sweetie. I know you know how to elaborate."

Her mind recalled Booth's hands caressing her skin…his lips pressed against hers…his body filling the emptiness inside her. _It was better than any love scene I've ever written for Kathy and Andy_. "It was… really, really amazing." She turned back to her computer, daring to hope that Angela would be satisfied.

"Brennan!" Angela whined. "This isn't fair. I've been working hard to push you guys into each other's arms—and beds— for over _two years_ now. Don't I deserve some details after you made me wait so long?"

_She is my best friend, and last night probably wouldn't have happened without her encouragement. I do owe her a debt of gratitude. _Brennan took a long, deep breath while she gathered her thoughts. "I had a dream this morning that I was buried alive again. I was alone and cold…so cold I was shivering…and I was running out of oxygen. I couldn't find a way out. I was starting to think that I would never see you or Booth or Zack or Hodgins again, and that you would never know what had happened to me. I felt my body shutting down, my mind slipping away…and then I woke up and saw Booth sleeping beside me, holding me." She wiped away the tears that crept down her cheeks. "I haven't felt that safe since before my parents left."

"Oh, sweetie." Angela walked around the desk to give Brennan a hug. "Did you tell Booth about your dream?"

"No, I didn't want to depress him. He seemed to be having good dreams."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked as she leaned against Brennan's desk.

"He was saying my name in his sleep and smiling." _And occasionally moaning. Loudly._

Angela gently placed her hand on Brennan's arm. "He really loves you, hon."

"I know. I think I…I love him, too." _She's going to squeal again. Would it be rude to cover my ears?_

Luckily for Brennan's ears, this squeal wasn't as painfully loud as the first one. "So are you guys going to stop pretending that you're not totally hot for each other and start dating like a normal couple?"

"We're going to try," Brennan answered.

"Thank God!" Angela cried, pulling Brennan into another embrace. "The 'unresolved sexual tension' dance is finally over! I'm so happy for you two!"

"Thanks, Angela." Brennan motioned to the computer. "I should really get back to work now."

"Of course." Angela walked to the door and reached for the doorknob, but she stopped herself at the last second. "Can I ask you one more thing before I go?"

The unnaturally large smile on Angela's face made Brennan apprehensive. "What is it?"

"Is Booth bigger than Sully?"

_I don't think Booth would want me sharing that information. _"The size of the sexual organ isn't that important. There are many more significant factors to consider when choosing a potential mate."

Angela frowned. "So that's a 'no'?"

"Well…not exactly."

Angela's impossibly large smile returned. "So it's a 'yes'?"

"Yes." Brennan blushed all the way down to her toes. "I'm not answering any more questions."

Angela giggled as she opened the door. "Alright, sweetie. I'll see you later."

After Angela's departure, Brennan was able to spend a few hours working in silence, interrupted only by a call from her overbearing publicist, who had wanted to remind her about the television interview she had scheduled for early the next morning. Thankfully the second interruption was far more pleasant.

"We have a new case, Bones," Booth happily announced as he entered her office.

Brennan's eyes traveled the length of his body. He looked handsome in his business suit, but she couldn't stop herself from mentally undressing him until he was down to his birthday suit. The logical part of her brain voiced its severe disapproval at this unprofessional behavior. _Stop! Get your mind back on work! It's not as if you've never seen a naked man before. Granted, Booth is a particularly fine specimen of masculinity, but that's no excuse for letting yourself get distracted. _She noticed the specimen in question smirking at her. "What?"

He flashed her that irresistible charm smile as he approached her desk. "Were you picturing me naked just now?"

_Why does he have to be so intuitive all the time? _ "No, of course not."

Now their bodies were only a few inches apart. "Too bad," he whispered. "I was picturing _you_ naked."

She hit his arm lightly. "So we have a new case?" She turned away from him to gather her jacket, gloves, and forensics kit.

"A couple of hikers found a pile of bones along the Wild Oak Trail in George Washington National Forest." He put his hand on the small of her back as they exited her office—but pulled it away a couple seconds later.

_He's never done that before. _ "What's wrong?"

He looked around as if afraid that they were being watched. "I'll tell you in the car."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Brennan asked again when they were en route to their crime scene.

Booth sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Cullen heard the rumors Kal was spreading at the wedding, so he called me into his office this morning to ask if we were involved. He said that having a romantic relationship with a partner compromises one's objectivity and puts both partners at risk, so he wouldn't hesitate to split us up if we started a relationship."

"He can't do that!" Brennan said indignantly. "What did you tell him?" _I know that you're generally an honest person, and I respect that, but I hope you were dishonest in this particular circumstance._

She saw a guilty look cross his face. "I told him that we weren't involved and never had been. I think he believed me, but if we want to stay partners, we need to keep our relationship discreet."

"That's why you didn't want to touch my back at the Jeffersonian?"

He nodded. "I don't think public displays of affection are a good idea right now."

"But you've always touched my back. Won't it look suspicious if you stop?"

Booth was quiet for a few moments. "Alright, I guess I can keep touching your back, but nothing else. I can't be looking at you longingly while we're out in the field or calling you pet names in front of everyone."

"Pet names?" She asked quizzically. _Like Fido or Rover?_

"A name that a lover calls you but no one else does, like how Angela calls Hodgins 'Hodgie'."

"I don't think I could ever call you 'Boothie'. I'm glad that you're not planning on calling me some ridiculous name either…but you already have a nickname for me. You're the only one who calls me Bones. Did you start calling me that because it was your pet name for me?"

"No, I just…I just thought it would be a good nickname for you." Booth's reddening face betrayed his words.

"You've been touching me in public and calling me a pet name for two years. _Now_ you want to start acting discreetly?" Brennan said in a teasing tone.

"Okay, maybe I haven't been as discreet as I could have been in the past, but I'm going to try hard from now on." He put his arm around her shoulders.

She leaned into him. "You shouldn't have your arm around me when we arrive at the scene."

"I won't, but we still have a long drive before we get there." They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the closeness of their bodies, before Booth spoke again. "There's something else I should tell you. This morning a couple of my co-workers said some rude things to me about us. I hope that they don't say anything like that to you, but they might, and I'll have to stop myself from kicking their asses."

_He's so sexy when he's displaying his alpha male protective tendencies. _ "Don't worry about it, Booth. If anyone says something inappropriate to me, I'll deal with it."

He laughed softly. "_That's_ what I'm worried about. I didn't hurt those guys this morning because I would have been suspended if I had. I'm sure that you could beat up a lot of FBI agents, but then Cullen might forbid you from coming out into the field with me. I don't want to give him any reason to separate us."

"I understand. I promise not to use excessive force when dealing with your colleagues…unless it's absolutely necessary."

He snorted. "Thanks. Now I feel much better."

_I think he's being sarcastic. _"If I can't beat up your colleagues, can I at least pull my gun on them?"

"NO!" Booth shouted. "Bones, you can't--"

"I was joking," she interrupted when she saw the look of panic on his face. "Sorry if I scared you."

His panicked look vanished, replaced by one of his usual smiles. "It's okay. I still love you."

"You'd better." _Because I still love you too._

Booth kept his arm around her until they arrived at the scene. When they stepped out of the car, they were no longer Booth and Bones, friends and lovers, but Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan, top notch crime-fighting duo. They had a job to do and they would do it to the best of their ability. Only after the bones and other evidence had been brought back to the lab and their preliminary analysis was completed did Brennan allow herself to reflect on her changing relationship with Booth. _We can't let our relationship interfere with our work. It won't be easy, but we can learn to balance our personal and professional lives. We'll still solve crimes and arrest murderers…the only difference is that now we can have amazing sex afterwards. The FBI doesn't need to know what we do outside of work. _

Yet as she led Booth back to her apartment that night, Brennan couldn't shake the nagging feeling that, sooner or later, Cullen would discover their secret.

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******Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Many thanks to everyone who reviewed the first and second chapters—I always enjoy hearing your thoughts—and to my dedicated beta CalleighAryn. **

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"I might have to shoot your publicist." Booth rubbed his eyes with one hand while keeping the other hand on the steering wheel. "Who schedules an interview for six a.m.?"

Brennan rolled her eyes. "It's a _morning_ talk show, Booth, and you didn't have to come with me."

"Of course I had to come with you. You're my Bones, and I want to offer my support." He rubbed her back gently. "Are you nervous?"

She stared out the window. "No, not at all."

Someone who didn't know her might have been convinced, but Booth heard the slight uncertainty in her voice. "You've come a long way since your first interview." _That was like watching a train wreck…but worse. _"You're going to be brilliant."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He wanted to say "You're welcome", but his words were swallowed by a yawn. Dating Temperance Brennan hadn't left much time for sleep, but that was a sacrifice he was more than happy to make.

"You're barely awake. It's not safe for you to drive," Brennan said in the ultra rational tone Booth mentally called the "super squint" voice.

"I'm fine." He tried and failed to stifle a second yawn.

"I'd tell you that I should drive, but I know how that offends your alpha male sensibilities."

"Uh huh."_It's too early in the morning for squint speak. _

"Put the car in park," she demanded when he stopped at a red light a few minutes later.

"What?"

"Put the car in park," she repeated. Recognizing her 'Do what I say or I'll hurt you' voice, Booth complied.

When he turned to his partner to ask for an explanation, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and kissed him with such force that she stole the breath from his lungs. He didn't mind; oxygen was highly overrated anyway. Instinctively his hands went to her waist, pulling her even closer. As the kiss escalated and their pleasure mounted, moans escaping from both mouths, they forgot about the world around them—until car horns pierced their eardrums. Cursing a green light for the first time in his life, Booth pulled away from her and put the car back in drive. "I'm not complaining, but what's gotten into you?"

"I thought it might help you wake up. Was I right?"

He laughed. "You're always right, Bones." _Wow. That was so much better than coffee._

XXXXXXXXXX

When they arrived backstage at the studio, a blonde in a pink suit rushed over to them. "Dr. Brennan, I'm Jill Croft. It's so good to meet you!"

_She's a good looking woman, _Booth thought as Jill shook hands with his partner. _Not as beautiful as my Bones, but no woman is. _Suddenly he felt Jill's eyes on him.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Jill said with a smile, unabashedly sizing him up.

"No, he's my partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth."

"A pleasure to meet you, Agent Booth," Jill purred as she offered her hand to him. "Or can I call you Seeley?" She said his name as if it were an expensive perfume.

_She makes my name sound dirty. _Reluctantly he shook her hand. "You can call me Agent Booth."

"He has a girlfriend," Brennan blurted out.

Booth used every ounce of self restraint to stop himself from grinning. After years of wanting (and, in some cases, actively trying) to steer Bones away from any guy who showed an interest in her, it was nice to see her feeling possessive about _him_. "It's true."

Jill sighed. "She's a very lucky woman."

"No, I'm the lucky one. Do you mind if I watch the show from here?"

"That's fine with me. Dr. Brennan, I'll be introducing you after my opening segment. My assistant will come get you. Good luck." She gave them both an exaggerated smile before walking out on stage.

"She was _very_ interested in you," Brennan said as the show's make-up artist led her to a chair and applied a generous amount of rouge to her cheeks.

Booth couldn't hide his grin any longer. "You were jealous."

It may have been the rouge, but Booth thought she was blushing. "No, I was merely making an observation."

"You don't have to worry, Bones." Bending next to her, he whispered in her ear, "You're the only one I'll ever want."

Soon a young woman with a clipboard approached them. "It's time, Dr. Brennan."

"Good luck, Bones. Knock 'em dead."

"Thank you. I'll do my best." She put on a brave smile before walking towards the stage.

_That's my girl. _

"You must be Agent Booth," the young woman said. "You can watch your partner on the monitor over there."

He thanked her and sat by the monitor, beaming at the image of Bones and hoping that the interview would go smoothly.

"Thank you so much for joining us today, Dr. Brennan," Jill gushed.

"Thank you for having me."

_Well said, Bones. You're off to a great start._

"This must be a very exciting time for you," Jill said in a sugary sweet voice. "The movie adaptation of your first book, Bred in the Bone, hits theaters next week, and your latest book, Bone Appetit, recently made the New York Times bestseller list. Are you surprised at how successful your books have become?"

"Yes."

Booth winced as a few seconds of dead air followed. _Keep talking, Bones. _

Maybe she had heard his thoughts because she added, "Very surprised."

"Let's start with the movie," Jill said quickly. "Were you consulted about casting choices? Do you approve of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt playing forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs and her FBI partner Andy Lister?"

"No, I wasn't consulted about casting choices. I don't know if I approve of those actors; I'm not familiar with their work."

_Oh no. Bones, Bones, Bones…_

Jill started to laugh but stopped when she saw that her guest wasn't joining in. "Seriously?"

Brennan looked slightly embarrassed. "My work is extremely demanding. I don't have time to keep myself informed about who's who in popular culture."

"Oh. That's…understandable."

Booth heard the thinly disguised contempt in Jill's voice and glared at her image on the monitor. _Don't you dare look down on my partner. She's a much better woman than you'll ever be._

"Why don't we move on to your books. The publication of your last book, Red Tape, White Bones, resulted in three copycat murders. Did you feel somehow responsible for those deaths? Were you hesitant to write again after such a horrible tragedy?"

_You bitch. I can't believe you asked her that. _Seeing Bones' anguished expression made him want to run out on stage and rescue her, but he held himself back, knowing she wouldn't appreciate that particular 'alpha male' gesture.

After a brief pause, Brennan regained her composure. "All three killers had clear motives for wanting their victims dead. Those murders would have been committed whether I had written the book or not…but I was saddened that my book was used that way."

_Good answer, Bones. Take that, bitch._

"Bone Appetit is your newest book. Could you describe the plot for our viewers?"

Brennan visibly relaxed as the conversation shifted to more comfortable territory. "The book follows Kathy Reichs and Andy Lister as they track a cannibalistic serial killer."

Jill squirmed. "Such an…interesting topic. Is the book based on a real case?"

"No, my work is fiction, although my partner and I have investigated cannibals."

_Like Doctor Rigby in Aurora, Washington, where every guy in town was drooling over you_. _And_ _then there's Gorgonzola and his apprentice, who tried to kill us with an exploding backpack. God, I hate cannibals._

"I had the privilege of meeting your partner backstage." Jill licked her lips. "How long have you and Agent Booth been working together?"

"About two and a half years."

_Two years, five months, one week and three days._

"How would you describe your working relationship?"

"We have different skill sets that complement each other. We're very good at what we do." Booth's chest swelled with pride. _I know you're talking about how well we catch killers, but maybe you're thinking of our after work activities too._

Jill leaned towards Brennan as if they were best friends. "Are you two as close as Kathy and Andy?"

_That's none of your business._

Brennan leaned away from her. "We're good friends, but we're not lovers like they are."

_I wonder how many times in the past couple years we've corrected people who assumed we were together. Of course, now we actually __**are**__ together…_

"So you weren't thinking of Agent Booth when you wrote the erotic scenes in your books?"

_Who does this woman think she is, Angela?_

Brennan shook her head. "I could never think about Booth that way. He's like a brother to me."

_Ouch. That hurt, Bones. I didn't expect you to admit that we've spent the last two nights making love in your apartment, or that this morning we made out at a traffic light, but did you have to say that I was like a __**brother?**_

"How nice. Well, thank you again for coming, Dr. Brennan." Jill turned to face the camera. "Bone Appetit is on bookshelves now, and Bred in the Bone will be in theaters next Friday."

Brennan returned backstage a few moments later. "How did I do?" She asked eagerly.

"Good."

She studied his face as they left the studio. "Really?"

"Yeah. That woman was awful to you, but you didn't let her get to you."

"Thanks." Brennan was still gazing at him when they got into the car. "Is something bothering you?"

Booth considered denying it, but he knew it was useless. She could read him just like she could read bones. "I'm like your _brother_?"

"I didn't mean it. You said we should be discreet."

"I know."_But I still wish you could introduce me as your boyfriend. I still wish I could tell the world how much I love you._

"I wouldn't be having sex with you if you were my brother." Her face was entirely serious.

Booth laughed. "Good to hear, Bones."

Sad eyes stared at him. "Are you mad at me?"

_How could I be mad at you when you're looking at me like that?_ "No. If you had told the truth, Cullen would have heard about it and split us up. You did what you had to do."

Her lips curved into a smile. "Exactly." She paused. "So who are Angela Jolie and Brad Pitt?"

"It's_Angelina _Jolie. She and Brad Pitt are a famous Hollywood couple."

"Do you think they'll do a good job playing Kathy and Andy?"

"You mean, will they do a good job playing you and me?"

She smiled. "Yes."

_She finally admitted it! _"There's only one way to find out. The movie comes out next Friday, huh? We should see it together on opening night. I've always wanted to take you to a movie." _Okay, I've always wanted to make out with you in a dark movie theater. Same thing. _

"Actually I've been invited to the Los Angeles premiere. I promised my publicist that I'd be there."

"Oh…were you planning on taking someone with you?" In his mind's eye he was already escorting her down the red carpet. _I'll get to see her in a dress again!_

Brennan frowned. "I don't need a bodyguard. I have a gun. A very big gun."

Booth chuckled._I know. You shot me with it. _"I'm not talking about a bodyguard. I'm talking about a date…. I happen to be free next weekend."

She looked surprised. "You want to go with me?"

_Is she serious? _"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because going as my date to a movie premiere, where there will most certainly be a large group of photographers, doesn't seem very discreet."

_Damn. She makes a good point. _"Don't bring me as a 'date' then. I can be your 'guest'." He remembered making that distinction when he invited her to Jimmy's wedding. _It worked then, so why not now?_

"And Cullen will believe that you flew across the country to be my 'guest'?

"Sure." He ran his hand up and down her leg. "We'll have a great time."

She took his hand in hers. "I know we would, but I don't think it's a good idea. We can see the movie together when I get back from L.A."

"How long will you be there?"

"Just for the weekend."

_**Just**__ for the weekend? Bones and me will be three thousand miles apart for three whole days? Maybe I should buy my own ticket to Los Angeles…_

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**Thanks for reading! All comments make me ridiculously happy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks as always to everyone who takes the time to read and review, and to my incomparable beta CalleighAryn. **

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Brennan placed the newly superglued skull on Angela's desk. "I need his face as soon as possible."

"Can't I have a 'Good morning, Angela. How are you doing?' before you start ordering me around?" Angela teased.

Brennan sighed good naturedly. "Good morning, Angela. How are you doing?"

"Hodgins and I made good use of a storage closet this morning, so I'm wonderful, thanks. How are you? How are things with your sexy partner turned lover?" She made a clicking sound with her tongue and smiled.

"We're doing very well." _If we weren't such dedicated professionals, we never would have gotten out of bed these last few days. _

"By 'very well', you mean that you two are having lots and lots of--"

"So how soon do you think you'll have a sketch ready?" Brennan interrupted.

"You're no fun, Bren. Alright, I'll get started on your sketch right now." Angela opened her sketchpad and began flipping through the pages, looking for a blank one. "Is this the victim from the forest?"

Brennan nodded. "Male, early to mid thirties. Caucasian. Booth is checking missing person re—oh!" Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the page Angela had turned over.

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Angela gushed. Noticing her friend's shocked expression, she added: "Sorry if seeing that made you uncomfortable."

"I'm fine. Really. I shouldn't have been so surprised. You're an artist, and artists have been creating images of the nude human body for millennia. It's nothing to be embarrassed about….I just wasn't expecting to see a sketch of Hodgins in that style."

"Please don't tell him you saw that," Angela pleaded. "He'll never pose for me again."

"I won't tell him."_I couldn't even if I wanted to. What would I say to him? "Hi, Hodgins. Good work analyzing the soil samples from our latest case, and by the way, I saw a drawing of you naked in Angela's sketchpad. Your muscular structure is quite impressive." _

Angela gave her a hug. "Thank you, sweetie."

"I can see why you'd ask him to pose for you; his body is very well toned." When Angela smiled at her praise, Brennan decided she should continue. "When he and Zack came out of the contamination shower a few years ago, I remember noticing that his pectoral muscles were--"

"Hey!" Angela interrupted in mock indignation. "Quit lusting after my man. I don't lust after Booth…not anymore, anyway." A dangerous smile crossed her lips. "What would you think about me asking Booth to pose for me?"

_Is she serious?_"What kind of pose?"

"A naked one. As you said, artists have been drawing nude figures for millennia. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

_I think she might be serious. _"Admittedly his body would make for a phenomenal piece of art." _If it were displayed in a museum or art show, it would become more popular than the Mona Lisa…but I don't think I like the idea of large crowds ogling my Booth. _ "Still, I'd ask you not to display it in public."

Angela laughed. "Sweetie! I was just kidding. I could _never_ ask Booth to get naked for me. Even if I did, there's no way he would agree. Hodgins only agreed after I offered him some incentives…and I can't make Booth the same offer. " She finally located a blank page. "I'll start your sketch now."

Brennan watched Angela draw the outline of a face. "What kind of incentives?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"I trust you." She hesitated briefly. "Can I ask your advice about something?"

Angela looked up from her drawing. "You don't need to ask first, hon. What's on your mind?"

"Booth wants to go with me to Los Angeles next week for the premiere of 'Bred in the Bone'."

"That's great! You and Booth all dressed up, rubbing elbows with celebrities. Don't you want him to go with you?"

"Yes, but if we go together people will think Booth and I are romantically involved."

"Forgive me for being Captain Obvious, but you **are** romantically involved."

"But we can't tell people that. I'll have to lie to everyone all night long and Booth will be hurt, just as he was this morning when I told my interviewer that he was like a brother to me."

Angela frowned. "I remember thinking Booth would wince at that."

"You saw my interview?"

"Of course! I set my alarm so I wouldn't miss it."

"Do you think it went well?" _Booth said it did, but he might have been lying to make me feel better._

"Absolutely. It was much better than your first interview, even though your interviewer was a total bitch. I wanted to hit her for asking you that question about Red Tape, White Bones. And what about all those questions about Booth? She seemed obsessed with him."

"I concur. She was definitely attracted to him, and Booth's past relationships with Rebecca and Tessa would indicate that he has an affinity for blondes, so--"

"You were jealous," Angela said in her all-knowing voice.

"No, jealousy is an irrational emotion." _ But I felt it nevertheless._

Angela wasn't convinced. "Booth is madly in love with you; he's not going to lust after a blond pseudo-journalist or any other woman, alright? He's one hundred percent yours. You said it would hurt him to hear you deny your relationship all night long. Well, I think it would hurt him a lot more if you didn't invite him to go with you. Take him to the premiere and have a wonderful time."

_I wish it were that simple. _"But going to a movie premiere three thousand miles away and 'rubbing elbows with celebrities' isn't a 'just partners' activity. If Cullen thinks that Booth and I are in a relationship he could--"

"Forget about Cullen!" Angela shouted. "You and Booth have waited over two years to admit your feelings for each other and start an honest relationship. Don't let Cullen or anyone else get in the way of that."

"But Cullen _can_ get in our way. He could terminate our partnership."

"Then think of a way to get around him. You can work on a plan of attack while I work on the sketch of our victim."

XXXXXXXXXX

Aided by Angela's sketch, Brennan and her team identified the victim from the forest as John Skinner, a thirty three year old mechanical engineer from D.C. who had been reported missing two months before. When dental records confirmed his identity, Brennan and Booth informed John's wife, Isabel. Booth believed she was a viable suspect because she and John were in the middle of an ugly divorce. Brennan, as always, had to remind her partner not to come to any conclusions until they had all the evidence. After they discussed the case over dinner at the diner, Booth invited Brennan back to his place, telling her he had a surprise for her.

"So what's my surprise?" She asked as they entered his apartment.

He proudly pointed to a table in front of the television laden with bags of Milk Duds, Junior Mints, M and Ms, Twizzlers, Hershey bars, and a variety of other snacks. "Beautiful, isn't it? I'm going to make us some popcorn too."

"It's a very impressive display." _ There are probably tens of thousands of calories on this table. _As she approached the table, a couple bags caught her eye. "You even bought organic snacks."

"Yeah. This brilliant forensic anthropologist I know once told me that my penis would shrink if I didn't eat organic foods, so I didn't want to take any chances."

_Angela once said that men have fragile egos and need constant reassurance. _"Booth, your penis is fine."

"Only 'fine'?" He pouted.

"It's better than fine…much, much better…and you use it with consummate skill." She grabbed his tie, pulling him towards her for a kiss.

"You're pretty skillful yourself," he said breathlessly. "Nothing on that table tastes as good as you do."

"I could say the same thing about you." She turned to look at the table so he wouldn't see her blushing. "So what is all this for?"

"It's movie watching food. I rented _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_, starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. I figured it would give you an opportunity to get familiar with their work. Will you watch it with me?" He flashed her a hopeful smile.

"I'd love to." She took another look at the table of decadent delights. "But I don't think we'll be able to eat all of this food."

"Not a problem. We'll save the leftovers for our next movie." He gave her a quick kiss before putting the movie into the DVD player and disappearing into the kitchen to microwave a bag of popcorn.

While Booth was in the kitchen, Brennan took a seat on his couch. Booth joined her there a few minutes later, bringing the bag of popcorn with him. He placed the bag between them and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "Hope you enjoy the movie, Bones."

She snuggled into his side. "I'm sure I will." _ I'll enjoy it because I'm sitting here with you._

XXXXXXXXXX

Much to Brennan's surprise, they easily finished the popcorn, M and Ms and Milk Duds before the movie was half over. She hadn't intended to eat so much food, but she figured that she and Booth could burn enough calories through vigorous sexual activity to compensate for this indulgence. She smiled at the thought.

"Enjoying the movie?" Booth asked when he saw her smile.

"The action sequences are fairly entertaining, and I appreciate the fact that Angelina Jolie's character is so adept at her profession, but the premise is extremely far fetched. They've been married for five or six years and neither knows that the other has a secret life as an assassin?"_ Then again, I didn't know that my parents had secret lives as bank robbers._ She turned to Booth. "What secrets are you hiding from me? Is your name really Seeley Booth?"

"Yes. I'll show you my birth certificate if you want."

"Why did your parents name you Seeley?"

Booth shrugged. "They saw it in a baby name book and liked the sound of it. They told me it means 'very happy'. Considering your parents originally named you Joy, I think we were destined to be together since birth."

"I don't believe in destiny. It's an extraordinary coincidence."

His hands caressed her face. "I don't think so. You want to know a secret of mine? I wanted to make love to you since our first case together."

_That's hardly a secret. _"I remember how you were practically on top of me at the firing range. I've always known you were attracted to me, but I didn't think you'd ever act on your feelings."

"I'm glad I finally did." He leaned toward her and she met him halfway, their lips joining in a tender kiss.

Brennan pulled away first. "That one wasn't a secret, so it doesn't count," she whispered in his ear. "Tell me another one."

Booth thought about it for a few moments. "Remember my old girlfriend Tessa?"

_How could I forget? The first time I met her she came to the door wearing only a bra and a partially buttoned shirt. I wanted to be the one walking around your apartment half naked. _"Yes."

"I'll tell you the real reason our relationship ended. Apparently I talk in my sleep sometimes. Tessa said that one night I kept saying "Bones" over and over again and I was…moaning."

Brennan laughed. "You said my name in your sleep, along with some interesting vocalizations, the first night we made love."

"Oh. Well, I do dream about you a lot." Booth blushed. "Anyway, at the time Tessa thought that I was having a nightmare about finding human remains. When she found out that you were 'Bones', she was pissed. She said that I never said her name the way I said yours, and she was jealous of all the time you and I spent together, so she left me."

"I'm sorry." _I'm not actually sorry, but it seems the appropriate thing to say._

"I'm not. What you and I have is a million times better than the relationship I had with her, or with any other woman." He kissed her forehead. "Will you tell me a secret of yours?"

Brennan bit her lip. "Since you mentioned dreams, occasionally I have dreams—you might call them nightmares— about the Grave Digger burying me alive, or Kenton tying me up. In these dreams you're not there to save my life." _I hope it wasn't a mistake to tell you that. I don't want you to think I'm weak or vulnerable._

Booth took her into his arms and held her in a tight embrace. "I have those dreams too, Bones."

"You do? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No, it's the truth. Those dreams scare the hell out of me. I'm going to do everything I can to be there for you whenever you need me. Always."

"I know. Thank you." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you remember when we were eating donuts together in the Jeffersonian after we wrapped up the Brianna Swanson case?"

"When you said I was 'structured very well.'" _That made me smile for weeks._

Booth grinned. "And you said that I was too. You know how I told you that I had to go to an appointment, but then I changed my mind? I was supposed to meet Cam."

"For a date?"

"Not exactly. It was more of a…"

"Booty call?" Brennan offered, remembering the term Angela had taught her a few years ago. _You had needs and she was there to fill them. You weren't in love with her._

"Wow. It is so, so wrong to hear those words coming out of your mouth…but yes."

"You gave up sex with Cam to do paperwork with me? Cam must have been unable to provide you with a sufficient release."

Booth laughed. "She's not you, that's for sure, but it wasn't because she was bad in bed. It was because spending time with you is better than sex with anyone else."

_Merely spending time with me can't possibly give you the same release as a sexual encounter, but that's nice of you to say. _ _I should reciprocate by telling you another secret._ "You're the reason I didn't leave with Sully. I couldn't imagine a whole year without you."

Booth's mood turned somber. "I don't know what I would have done if you'd left."

"You would have chartered your own boat and followed us so you could interrupt any intimate moments."

Booth's somber mood vanished as he laughed again. "You're probably right. Or maybe I would have sabotaged his boat so you couldn't leave."

"You would do that to your friend?" She teased.

Booth's eyes narrowed. "Friends don't ask friends for advice on how to get their partners in bed."

"He didn't!"

"He did."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I wouldn't help him. He figured out then that I wanted you for myself."

"And yet you said that I should go with him." _I had hoped that you would try to convince me to stay._

"Because I wanted you to be happy. Still, I'm glad you didn't listen. I would have missed you way too much if you went away for a whole year. I'm going to miss you like crazy when you're in Los Angeles, and that's only for a few days."

"I'll miss you too." _Unless I can come up with a "plan of attack."_

"I'll be worried about you. What if some psycho fan tries to get close to you? I know you said you didn't need a bodyguard, but maybe you should--"

"That's it!" Brennan cried. "You're brilliant, Booth."

"Thanks…what are you talking about?"

"Angela suggested I come up with a plan to get around Cullen, and because of you I just did. Get some disturbing fan mail from my publishers to show him. Tell him that you think my life is in danger, and you're going with me to L.A. as my bodyguard. What do you think?"

He looked at her as if it was the best thing anyone had ever said. "I think you're a genius. I can't wait to go to L.A. with you and see your movie."

"Neither can I."

After a lengthy kiss, they laid down on the couch and watched the rest of the movie in contented silence. As the credits rolled, both found themselves starting to fall asleep.

"We should go to bed," Booth suggested. "We'd be more comfortable there."

Brennan turned in his arms to face him. "I'm comfortable here."

"I love you, Bones."

"I love you too."

They fell asleep in each other's arms and dreamed about each other until morning.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! This chapter gave me a rough time, so all comments will be particularly appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter; I don't have as much time to write as I used to. Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing and to my devoted beta CalleighAryn. Hope you enjoy!**

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Booth had always resented people who flew first class. Sitting in their big leather seats, stretching out their legs in front of them, sipping their cocktails, separated from the rest of the passengers by a curtain, they thought they were better than everyone else. He didn't like being around pretentious people, but unfortunately Brennan's publisher had gotten them first class tickets to Los Angeles. With a sigh he leaned back in the leather seat beside his partner. _Oh, Bones, the things I do for you._

If she hadn't asked him to be her 'bodyguard', he had planned to buy his own ticket for an earlier flight and surprise her at the airport with a bouquet of daffodils. She might have been mad at him for being indiscreet, but he wasn't willing to gamble on her safety. Ever since she had been attacked in New Orleans, he worried about her traveling alone, and reading her disturbing fan mail had only added to his fears. Most of her obsessive fans were probably like Oliver Laurier, incredibly weird but harmless, but even one psycho admirer could steal her away from him forever. No way in hell was he letting that happen.

"Are you okay, Booth?"

He saw the concern radiating from Brennan's eyes and smiled to reassure her. "I'm sitting next to my favorite partner; of course I'm okay."

She tilted her head, studying his face. "I think that you're lying."

"No way, Bones. You're definitely my favorite partner."

"I'm your _only_ partner, and I meant that I think you're lying about being okay. Something is bothering you."

_She knows me too well. _"Maybe I'm a little tired." _You know, the whole lots of sex and not a lot of sleep thing._

"You look stressed. Did you know that excessive stress can be detrimental to your health? I can teach you some meditation techniques and breathing exercises that I learned in Tibet."

Booth smiled at her enthusiasm. "Thanks for the offer, Bones, but I'm not a meditating kind of guy."

"Have you ever tried meditating?"

"No."

"Then how do you know you're not a meditating kind of guy?"

"I just know."_ Sitting cross legged and saying "ohm" over and over again isn't going to help me relax. It's going to make me want to shoot something._

She looked at him like he was a puzzle piece that didn't fit. "You're a very illogical man."

"That's alright," he said with a smile. "You're logical enough for the both of us."

"That's true." She smiled back at him as she took an anthropology journal out of her bag. "You could take a nap while I catch up on my reading."

"I'm your bodyguard. I can't sleep on the job!"

"Given the recent emphasis on airplane security and the abundance of potential witnesses, it's highly improbable that someone will attack me on the plane, but if I find myself in mortal danger I'll wake you. Get some sleep." She leaned close to whisper in his ear. "That way you'll have plenty of energy for tonight."

"I'll have plenty of energy for the premiere, don't worry."

Brennan flashed him a sly smile. "I was thinking more about _after_ the premiere."

_Is it getting warm in here? _"I'll always have energy for _that_. Go ahead and read your squinty journal articles, Bones. I brought my own reading." He pulled his copy of Bred in the Bone out of his carry-on bag.

Brennan looked hurt. "I thought you had read my book years ago."

"I did, but I wanted to read it again before we saw the movie. I'm about to get to one of my favorite scenes: Kathy and Andy getting it on in the FBI building." _I've only had that fantasy once or twice…a day...for the last couple years._

Her smile returned. "I knew you'd like that scene. I'll let you get to it then." She turned her attention to her journal.

Booth had only read a couple pages when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his concentration. Lifting his head to investigate, he saw that the footsteps belonged to a handsome, well dressed man. _That guy's looking at Bones_. _No, he's not just looking_. _ He's __**staring**__ at her. _Booth glared at him as he stopped beside Brennan. _If you try to hurt her, you'll be sorry. She'll kick your ass, I'll kick your ass, and then her serial killer dad will break out of his maximum security prison, hunt you down, and set you on fire. Just a friendly warning._

"Excuse me, are you Temperance Brennan?"

She looked up from her journal. "Yes."

Booth gave the potentially psychotic fan his most menacing look. "Who are _you_?"

Ignoring Booth, the man flashed Brennan a suave grin that made Booth want to kick him in the balls then and there. "I'm Scott Mahoney, of the Boston Mahoneys. You've probably heard of my family."

"No, I haven't."

Booth almost laughed at Scott's look of disappointment. _Your family is in magazines all the time because of your flashy lifestyle, but Bones doesn't read celebrity gossip. She's not impressed._

Scott shook off his disappointment, giving her a smile that showed way too many dazzling white teeth. "Well, I'm a big fan of your books. I read Bone Appetit the day it came out, and I've re-read it three times since then. I have to tell you, you're a brilliant writer. I had never heard of forensic anthropology before reading your books, but now I find it absolutely fascinating. Would you tell me how you got into the field?"

_Seriously? Is that the best line you can come up with? _Yet, to Booth's dismay, it worked. As Brennan talked at length about how she became a forensic anthropologist, Booth sensed that Scott was mentally undressing her. He briefly imagined himself throwing Scott out of the emergency exit, but he held himself back. _ Ejecting a civilian from a plane would create a ton of paperwork; he's not worth it. Eventually Bones will realize that he's flirting with her and send him on his way. It's nothing to get upset about._

"That's really interesting. I'd love to hear more about your work," Scott said when she had finally finished. "Can I buy you a drink when we get to L.A.?"

_No, you can't. She's not available. Go practice your pick-up skills on someone else._

Brennan shook her head. "I can afford to buy my own drinks."

_Go Bones! Bye Scott. You can go now. _

Scott laughed. "You have a great sense of humor. I'd be honored if you'd let me have the pleasure of your company."

"I have other obligations."

_Like making passionate love to your boyfriend._

"As important as your work is, you shouldn't let it stop you from living. Even a busy woman like yourself needs to take a break every now and then, right?"

"I don't take breaks."

_But she does break bones. Go ahead, Bones; do your thing._

"Come on, I know this great club we could go to. Give it a chance and I promise you'll love it."

When he leaned a little too close to her, Booth's instincts took over. His book fell to the floor as he rapidly unbuckled his seat belt, jumping out of his seat to place his body between Brennan and Scott. "She's not interested, so you can go back to your seat now."

Scott noticed Booth for the first time. "Are you her bodyguard or something?"

"Yes, I am," Booth said proudly, feeling like a knight charging in to save the day. "Leave her alone. NOW."

Brennan put her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Booth. I can handle it."

Scott regarded Booth with amused disdain "It seems that your _bodyguard_ doesn't know his place. Good help is so hard to find these days."

His contemptuous tone pushed Booth over the edge. "I'm not just her bodyguard. I'm a federal agent _and_ her partner _and_ her BOYFRIEND!" Everyone around them stopped talking and turned to stare at him. _ I shouldn't have said that so loudly. Or at all._

A flight attendant hurried over to them. "Is there a problem here, gentlemen?"

"No," Booth answered. "Scott here was just about to go back to his seat."

Scott took a business card out of his pocket and tossed it in Brennan's lap. "You can do better. Call me."

Brennan threw the card back at him. "I'll call you when cows fly."

Scott was genuinely confused. "What?"

"Pigs, Bones," Booth corrected. "When pigs fly."

"It doesn't matter. The point is that I'm never going to call you, and if you keep harassing me, I'll make sure that you'll never be able to procreate. If you value your reproductive organs, walk away."

"Nicely said," Booth commented as Scott slinked away and the flight attendant moved on to other passengers. Brennan gave him a withering look and returned to her journal. "Look, Bones, I--"

"I don't want to talk about it now."

_Crap. Forget cannibals or serial killers…there's nothing on Earth more frightening than a pissed Temperance Brennan._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Will you talk to me _now_?" Booth asked when they were in the back of the limousine Brennan's publisher had sent to pick them up at the airport. They were en route to their hotel to drop off their luggage and change into their clothes for the premiere.

Brennan turned to him with a venomous stare. "You told me we needed to be discreet and then you announced the nature of our relationship for everyone on the plane to hear! You completely overreacted! I'm not a defenseless woman who needs a man to rescue her. I could have dealt with the situation on my own."

"I didn't mean to reveal our relationship like that, but that guy pissed me off."

"You didn't like him because he appeared to be wealthy," Brennan declared. "Dr. Wyatt said you had a problem with people in a higher economic class than your own."

"I can't believe you're using psychology against me! You hate psychology."

"And you hate rich people."

"Not _all_ rich people," Booth argued. "I don't hate Hodgins."

"You didn't know Hodgins was rich when you met him."

"I knew he was rich way before you did."

"Well, I know something about Hodgins that you don't know."

"What's that?"

"I probably shouldn't tell you. It's a secret."

"I thought that we were done keeping secrets from each other."

Brennan relented when she saw his wounded expression. "If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't tell Hodgins that we know."

_Sounds like it's going to be a good secret. _"Deal."

"Hodgins poses for Angela's art. Last week I saw a sketch she did of him in his…natural state."

_His natural state? What the hell does that—oh. _"Angela drew a naked picture of Hodgins? That's just…wrong." _I need to get that image out of my head real fast. I'll think of Bones naked instead. Okay, there we go. Much better._

"She said she wanted to draw you naked too. I told her your body would make for a phenomenal piece of art, but then she said she was only kidding."

Booth started laughing and Brennan joined in. _It's easy to imagine Angela teasing Bones and Bones believing her. She's both brilliant and naïve; strong and vulnerable; detached and passionate. She's an all around amazing woman and I'm completely in love with her. _"There's no one else in the whole world like you, Bones. I'm sorry if I was too overprotective; I just want you to be around for a long, long time."

Brennan smiled and kissed him. "Apology accepted. I understand why you reacted the way you did, but we need to be much more careful at the premiere."

"No problem." _I pretended I didn't love you for two years. I'm sure I can do it again for a few hours._

XXXXXXXXXX

"You almost done in there, Bones?" Having already changed into his tuxedo, Booth sat on the bed in their hotel room as he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. "If you need help getting your dress on, I'd be happy to--" The rest of his sentence died on his lips as Brennan opened the bathroom door. He swallowed hard several times before speaking. "You're…you're wearing the Roxie dress. I've had so many dreams about you in that dress."

"I know," she said as she walked over to him. "Angela was going through my closet last night and thought it would be good for the premiere."

"You know I've had dreams about you as Roxie?"

"You talk in your sleep."

_Oh God, what did I say? _"I hope I didn't say anything that disturbed you."

"You didn't. On the contrary, I found it quite alluring. If you still have your Tony costume, we should engage in role-play sometime."

_If I didn't know her better, I'd think she was actually trying to torture me. _ "Bones, if you keep talking like that, we're going to be very late for the premiere…or we might even miss it entirely."

"Sorry. Are you ready to go?"

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Now I am." He took a step back to let his eyes drink in her appearance. "Damn, Bones. You make it very hard for a guy to be discreet."

XXXXXXXXXX

When the limousine dropped them off at the theater fifteen minutes later, Booth's senses were assaulted by camera flashes and shouts from the large crowd of spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity. He tuned out the lights and noise as he scanned the crowd, looking for anyone who might be a little too interested in his partner. "Stay close to me, Bones." He turned to face her but she was gone. "Bones? Bones?" A few panicked breaths later, he saw her signing a copy of her book and rushed to her side. He stayed beside her until she was finished and then escorted her down the red carpet. They had almost reached the theater when they heard the crowd erupt in deafening screams.

"Why is everyone screaming?" Brennan asked. "Has someone been hurt?"

Booth's eyes widened as he saw the celebrity couple making their way down the carpet. "No. They're screaming because Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are here."

Her curiosity satisfied, Brennan started to enter the theater and Booth followed—until a shout of "Dr. Brennan!" stopped them in their tracks. They turned around to see Angelina and Brad heading straight toward them.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm Angelina Jolie, and this is my partner Brad Pitt. We play Kathy and Andy in the movie. It's a pleasure to meet you." The couple shook hands with Brennan.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Brennan said. "This is my partner, Agent Seeley Booth."

"Nice to meet you," they said as they shook hands with him.

"You too." _I can't believe I'm meeting Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt! This is crazy! _

"We're so glad you could make it," Angelina told Brennan. "We loved your book, and I hope you'll think that the movie does it justice."

"Thank you," Brennan said graciously. "I enjoyed both of your performances in _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_, so I'm confident that you were able to portray Kathy and Andy convincingly." She noticed both of their surprised expressions. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Brad answered. "We're just surprised that you saw _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_. We had heard that you weren't familiar with our work."

_Oh God, they heard about her interview! That's why they introduced themselves._

"You're referring to my interview," Brennan said. "Admittedly, I didn't know who you were at the time, but since then Booth showed me your movie and I did some internet research. I think the humanitarian work you two have done abroad is truly admirable."

"Thank you," Angelina and Brad said in unison.

Booth beamed as he looked at his partner. _Well said, Bones._

"And congratulations on your pregnancy," Brennan added.

Angelina blushed. "You can't believe all the rumors you read online, Dr. Brennan."

"I didn't read any rumors online, but it's clearly not just a rumor. I can tell you're pregnant from your gait, how your ilia are already shifting to widen the birth—"

"Bones, I don't think they're ready to announce that news just yet," Booth interrupted when he saw the uncomfortable looks on the couple's faces.

Brennan's face reddened. "I'm sorry. I promise not to tell anyone."

The couple smiled. "Thank you," Brad said. "Hope you two enjoy the movie."

"We will," Brennan answered.

"Yeah we will," Booth echoed as the two couples entered the theater. _Except that Bones looks so unbelievably sexy right now and I won't be able to make out with her in the theater. I hope it's a short movie…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks again to all my wonderful readers for your patience—I had hoped to post this chapter sooner but then I got sick— and to my beloved beta CalleighAryn for her support and suggestions.**

_I will not make out with Bones in the theater…I will not make out with Bones in the theater…_

Booth repeated his mantra as he and Bones took their seats, fighting the urge to put his arm around her as the theater lights dimmed. _We have to be discreet. We have to look like "just partners", and partners don't make out in theaters, even if they really, really…really… want to. _

Luckily, the start of the movie showed Andy and Kathy examining maggot- infested remains that were realistic enough to distract him from his fantasies. He turned his attention away from the unfortunate victim and focused on the attractive actors instead. He recognized himself in the way Andy looked at Kathy as he stood beside her, and he smiled when Andy put his hand on the small of Kathy's back. As the movie went on, Booth was impressed at how well Brad Pitt mimicked other aspects of his personality: how he wore silly socks, how he used his gut to investigate the crime, and how he used his considerable charm to flirt with his partner. 

He thought Angelina was doing a great job with Bones, kicking ass one minute and giving a squinty speech the next; she sounded so much like his partner that he could close his eyes and pretend it was her speaking. Only when the audience laughed at Bones'—well, _Kathy's_—ignorance of popular culture did Booth remember that he and Bones weren't the only ones in the theater. _ All of these people are watching a movie about __**us**__, as if we're only characters created for their enjoyment. That's so weird._

His amorous thoughts returned with a vengeance when they got to his favorite scene: Andy and Kathy making love in Andy's office in the Hoover building. He had dreamed about himself and Bones acting out that scene more times than he could count, and now it was unfolding on the screen for everyone to see. When Andy planted long, lingering kisses on Kathy's lips, Booth's body was on fire. He wanted to kiss Bones like that right now. He wanted to make her moan like Kathy, to hear those sexy sounds coming from her throat. When Andy took off Kathy's clothes, Booth nearly joined them in their moaning. He gripped the armrests on either side of him so he wouldn't grab his partner and start role-playing in the aisles. Now, as Kathy and Andy rolled around naked on Andy's desk, Booth imagined himself taking Brennan's hand, leading her to the bathroom, and making love to her in a stall. _It's not indiscreet if it's behind a closed door, right?_

_NO! You are NOT making love to Bones in a public bathroom; she deserves better. You promised her you would be discreet, and she's had enough men in her life break their promises to her. You're not going to be one of those guys. Talk yourself down. Think unsexy thoughts. Hodgins posing nude for Angela…Zack wearing a thong…_

_Oh God, I feel nauseous. I think I'm going to throw up my popcorn._ _I'll look at Bones to settle my stomach. Okay, that was a bad idea. She looks so beautiful with her hair down and her make-up and the Roxie dress; I've had dreams about her in that dress ever since we got back from Vegas. I could take her somewhere right now and slide those straps down her smooth shoul—_

_STOP. You can show her how much you love her AFTER the movie. This scene is near the end of the book, so it will be over soon. Just be patient…try that meditating stuff she was talking about. _

_It might be worth a try. Breathe in…breathe out…breathe in…I love the way Bones breathes when I'm inside her and she's about to lose control and I know that any second now she'll be screaming my—_

_STOP. Patience. You need to wait. _

_I can wait…so is the movie over yet? _

XXXXXXXXXX

Brennan seldom saw movies in a theater; she lacked the time and the interest. She had seen a few movies on dates, but she didn't understand the point of it. It wasn't logical to spend ten dollars to watch a movie at a designated time with a group of strangers when she could rent one for a fraction of the cost and watch it in the privacy of her home at her own convenience. Since she barely saw movies in D.C, taking the time to fly to Los Angeles for one had seemed ludicrous. Yet her publicist had spent weeks convincing her that she should attend the premiere, and now that she was here in the theater, her inspiration for Andy sitting beside her, she was glad she had come.

She had found it strange at first to watch actors playing the parts she had written with herself and Booth in mind, but as the movie went on it bothered her less and less. Brad Pitt wasn't her Booth, but he had successfully adopted many of Booth's mannerisms. He sounded like Booth, looked at Kathy the way Booth looked at her, and gave great 'guy hugs'. Angelina Jolie wasn't her, but she used anthropological terms confidently (only rarely making a mistake in pronunciation) and had excellent fighting skills. She found herself cheering along with everyone else when Kathy overpowered a fleeing suspect. _Brad and Angelina make a great team—just like me and Booth_. 

An hour and a half into the movie came the part Brennan had anticipated most—the sex scene in the FBI building. She had smiled when Booth said it was his favorite part because it was her favorite too. She had imagined that scene numerous times before writing it, and she was curious to see if the movie could match the intensity of her imagination. As Andy and Kathy entered his office, the anticipation made Brennan's heart beat race and her mouth go dry. 

When Andy and Kathy kissed, Brennan thought of the intoxicating feel of Booth's lips on hers, the sweet taste she had denied herself for over two years. _Why deny myself now? The theater is dark, and everyone in the audience is focused on the movie. Surely I could give Booth a kiss without anyone—_

_No. You yelled at Booth for declaring your relationship on the plane. It would be hypocritical for you to kiss him in a crowded theater._

_But he looks so sexy in his tuxedo, and it would be a quick kiss._

_It might start out that way, but it wouldn't end there—remember your 'quick kiss' at the traffic light? It would be better to restrain yourself completely._

_That's easier said than done. Well, easier thought than done, since I didn't actually say it._

Now Andy had taken off Kathy's clothes, and Kathy was eagerly returning the favor. As the newly naked couple found their way onto Andy's desk, Brennan ached to strip her own Andy and have her way with him. _Angela mentioned having sex with Hodgins in a storage closet. I'm sure we could find a similar location somewhere in the theat—_

_No! What if someone found you? The bestselling author caught in flagrante delicto with her FBI partner in a movie theater would be a notable scandal. Cullen would hear about it, he'd terminate your partnership, and then you'd barely see Booth. Wait until the movie is over and you're back at the hotel; then you can make love to him as much as you want._

_I wonder if he's as aroused as I am… oh, yes he is. His breathing is labored, and he's clutching the armrests. He looks like he's in pain. I could help him with that. _ _Why wait until the movie ends? I wrote the book after all; I know what's going to happen. We could leave right now—_

_But it would be rude for you and Booth to run out of the theater so close to the end. Just wait. _

_I should wait…so is the movie over yet? _

XXXXXXXXXX

The second the credits started rolling, Brennan grabbed Booth's hand and they made their way through the crowd as quickly as they could—until a shout of "Dr. Brennan" stopped them once again.

"Was the movie that bad?" Brad teased as he and Angelina approached the partners.

"Oh no, not at all," a red-faced Brennan answered. "It was very good."

"Very, _very_ good," Booth echoed. "It's just that we…uh…we have to—"

"We need to get back to our hotel as soon as possible," Brennan interrupted. _As in "immediately."_

Noticing the partners' flushed faces and joined hands, Brad and Angelina gave them a knowing smile. "We understand," Angelina said. "We'll show you the back way out."

"Thank you," Booth and Brennan answered simultaneously.

"You guys remind me of me and Angie when we saw our first movie together," Brad said as he led them to the lesser known exit. "I didn't think we'd make it out of the theater."

Angelina smiled at her lover. "We almost didn't."

Brennan squeezed Booth's hand and he squeezed back. _It was a close call for us too._

"You two can go ahead first," Brad offered when they reached the exit. "Have a great night."

Brennan grinned. _ We won't have a great night; We'll have an amazing night. _ "You too. I really did enjoy the movie, and it was nice meeting you."

"Same here," Booth added. 

"Nice meeting you both too," Brad and Angelina said.

Still holding hands, Booth and Brennan hurried to their waiting limousine. Once they were safely shielded behind its tinted windows, they abandoned all restraint, kissing and touching each other as if they hadn't had the pleasure in years, their bodies clinging together until they arrived at the hotel. Trying to maintain some sense of decorum in spite of their overwhelming arousal, they forced themselves to assume the 'just partners' charade as they walked through the lobby and rode a crowded elevator to their floor, even though Brennan's smudged make-up and the remnants of her lipstick on Booth's face betrayed their secret.

They started undressing each other as soon as they entered their room, mentally cursing every garment that stood between them and their partner's body. When all their pesky clothes were out of the way, they stumbled to a bed that had witnessed many romantic encounters over the years, but none as passionate or lengthy as this one. As they gave themselves to each other again and again, they became the envy of their neighbors, who wondered if the couple's reverberating moans would ever stop.

"Hey, Bones?" Booth panted when at last they rested in each other's arms. "We should go to the movies more often." 

XXXXXXXXXX

Brennan's ringing cell phone woke her at six the next morning. Reluctantly disentangling herself from Booth's warm embrace, she jumped out of bed and grabbed her phone so it wouldn't wake him. "Brennan," she whispered.

"Hey sweetie, it's me. I hope I didn't wake you, but I really need to tell you something."

Brennan waited for Angela to continue, but there was only silence. "What is it?" More silence followed. "Angela? Are you still there?"

"I'm here. I'm just…wondering how I should tell you. You're not going to like it, and I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you, but I figure it would be better coming from a friend and since I'm your best friend, I felt that I--"

"Ange! Just say it." Regretting her impatient outburst, she added: "Please."

Angela took a deep breath. "Okay. Here goes. There's a picture of you and Booth from the premiere, looking very much like a couple, on Perez Hilton's website." 

"What's that?"

"It's a popular celebrity gossip website. Below the picture, there's an article that quotes your interview and suggests you lied about your relationship with Booth. I'm so, so sorry, sweetie." 

_NO! This can't be happening! _ "I…I appreciate you letting me know. Thank you."

"If there's anything I can do to--"

"I'll be fine."

"Bren—"

"I have to go. I'll talk to you later. Bye." When Angela echoed her farewell, Brennan hung up the phone and retrieved her lap top from her carry on bag, struggling to stay calm as she turned it on and waited for her internet connection. _Maybe Cullen won't hear about this website. Even if he does, maybe we can convince him that the article is false. It is a gossip website, after all, and gossip is by no means reliable. _When she saw the picture online, however, all hopes of deceiving Cullen vanished. It had been taken when she and Booth had left the theater. They were holding hands and smiling broadly; there was no mistaking the adoration on their faces as anything other than the looks of lovers. Ignoring the words "yum yum" written above Booth's head, she read the article that followed:

**BRENNAN BUSTED?**

**Filed under: Temperance Brennan/ Yummy Yummy Screw**

**In an interview last week, bestselling author Temperance Brennan told **_**Wake Up D.C!**_**'s Jill Croft that she and her sexy real life partner, FBI Agent Seeley Booth, were NOT lovers—unlike her fictional alter ego Kathy Reichs and her FBI partner, Agent Andy Lister. "****I could never think about Booth that way. ****He's like a brother to me," Brennan said.**

**This picture was taken last night at the premiere of the ****Bred in the Bone**** movie. Does it look like they have a brother/sister relationship?**

Brennan blinked back tears as she read it. _We tried so hard to be discreet, and it was all for nothing. I knew we wouldn't be able to keep our relationship a secret forever, but this isn't how I would have chosen to reveal it. It says that there are 76 comments! That seems like a large number considering this article can't be more than a few hours old. I should read them; I want to know what people are saying about us._

**#1- AJ says- reply to this**

**I AM THE FIRST!**

_The first what? The first person to comment? Is that some kind of honor? The next twenty two posts all say a variation of the same thing. Finally, here's something different:_

**#24- Number One Brennanite says - reply to this**

**I've read all of her books and I love them! She rocks! **

_I'm glad you like my books, although I don't see what that has to do with the article._

**#25- Celia says - reply to this**

**they look so good together! **

_Yes, we do look good together. This picture should be in a frame on my desk, not on a gossip website._

**#26- Matt says - reply to this**

**DAMN!! she's way HOT. ** **I wish I was her brother.**

_If you were my brother, you'd be in jail right now._

**#27- Dan is the Man says- reply to this**

**she has a nice rack. **

_I don't know what that means. _

**#28- Wendy says- reply to this**

**what kind of name is Seeley? I'd call him Sexy Booth! I'd tap that ass any day. **

_Seeley is a great name, and there will be no ass tapping of my partner by anyone other than me._

**#29- Miranda says- reply to this**

**They r totaly togethr! I waz on a plane with them from DC to Los Angels, n this guy waz hiting on her, and Both got so pised that he yelled he waz her bf! Then she threatned to kick the guy's nuts. It was SOOO awsome. **

_It wasn't awesome; it was embarrassing…and your spelling is atrocious. I can't read these anymore. _

_I'll have to tell Booth about this website. I'll let him sleep for now, but when he wakes up I'll show him. It's going to hurt him, but he has to know. I'm sorry, Booth. This is my fault. I knew I shouldn't have invited you to the premiere, but I let my emotions overpower my judgment and now— _Brennan gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

"Bones, what are you looking at?" 

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your encouragement, and to CalleighAryn for her unwavering support. You guys rock!**

XXXXXXXXXX

_Loud. So loud. Make it stop. _

_What is that? A phone ringing? In a movie theater? So rude. _

_Wait. Not in the theater. In bed. Whose bed? Not mine, not Bones'. Oh yeah. The hotel bed._

_Dreaming something. Strange…so strange. Bones and me watching the love scene in her movie, but not Brad and Angelina…me and Bones having sex on the screen! Someone saying "Hey, isn't that you two up there?" Everyone staring at us. The guys leering at Bones, the women winking at me. Trying to leave, but trapped. Seemed so real… but not. Only a dream, and over now. Our secret's still safe._

_Who's calling? I should shoot them. Oh crap. Bones said "Angela". Can't shoot Angela. Why so early? The time difference. Maybe she forgot. Or maybe she didn't care. Could be something important. Need to ask Bones what's going on…soon. Too tired to talk now…too tired to do anything. Want sleep. Go back to sleep. Sleep for a long, long time. Have normal sex dreams about Bones…._

_Not asleep yet. How long have I been awake? Five minutes? Ten? I guess I'm not going back to sleep. Time to open my eyes and start the day with the woman I love. There she is, sitting in front of her computer. Her computer? Is she doing work? It's a Saturday morning Bones, come on! Not even squints should work on Saturday mornings. It should be a law. Hold on— no pictures of bones on the screen. Looks like she's on the internet, some website with a pink background. _

"Bones, what are you looking at?" Booth asked as he put his hand on her shoulder. She gasped and closed the computer. "You were on a naughty website, huh?"

Brennan bit her lip. "No, not exactly."

Booth laughed. "Not exactly? What does _that_ mean?" He gave her a teasing smile, but she didn't smile back. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes."

He waited for her to continue, but she stayed silent. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"I don't want to tell you, but I should."

"Okay. So tell me."

She paused. "I don't have to tell you right now. I know how you hate early mornings, so go back to sleep and I'll tell you later."

"I tried going back to sleep, but it didn't work. I'm awake now, so just tell me."

"Once I tell you, it will ruin the whole day. We should enjoy ourselves a little first."

_Now you're starting to scare me_. "Look, Bones, whatever it is, you can just—" She cut him off with a kiss. "You're stalling," he said as he reluctantly freed his lips from hers. "Don't think you can distract—" She kissed him again, longer and harder than before. _What was I talking about? I think it was important. Oh right, distraction. _"I won't be distracted," he said breathlessly. "I'm going to find out what's going—" She kissed him a third time, and this time Booth felt her hands sliding down his chest and reaching into his boxers. He tried and failed to bite back a moan as she stroked him. "Damn, Bones…you're not…playing…fair."

"I know," she said, continuing to torture him with skillful touches that threatened to turn his brain to mush.

He had almost forgotten his pledge to not be distracted—along with his name, address, phone number, birthday, and every other bit of information in his mental storage closet— when he noticed Brennan blinking back tears. With a surge of guilt he grabbed her hands, lifting them out of his boxers, and gently held onto them. "Tell me what's wrong."

She lowered her eyes to the floor. "It will hurt you. I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, Bones." He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. "You feel tense." Moving to sit behind her, he pressed his fingers over her shoulders in soothing circles. "How's that?"

"Nice."

"Just nice?" He pretended to be offended.

"Very nice," she said with a laugh. "You must have practiced a lot on your previous girlfriends."

"I wouldn't say 'a lot'. I don't break out the magic fingers routine for just anyone, but you, Temperance Brennan, are a very special someone." He kneaded her tense muscles for several minutes, enjoying the little noises she couldn't hold back. "Tell me when you're ready."

A few minutes later, Brennan took a deep breath and started to speak. "Angela called this morning to tell me that a celebrity gossip website has a picture of us from last night and an article implying that we're in a romantic relationship." She opened her computer to show him.

Booth's fingers froze on her back as he read the article. _NO, NO, NO! That's not fair. I could have told everyone I knew that I had the most beautiful, brilliant girlfriend ever, but I didn't say anything to anyone. I could have put my arm around her when we watched the movie last night. I could have kissed her in the theater, or made love to her in the bathroom, but I behaved myself. I resisted temptation even when every part of my body was screaming for her and a website exposed us anyway. I don't think Cullen reads gossip websites, but I'm sure someone will tell him about this. If he believes this article, he'll reassign Bones to another agent. Who in the Bureau could care about her as much as I do? The last agent I trusted to protect her almost put a bullet in her brain. She would have died if I hadn't showed up when I did. I can't trust anyone else to be there for her the way I am. _"I'll tell Cullen that Perez is wrong. I won't let him separate us. I promised you once that I'd never leave you, and I always keep my promises."

She smiled at him. "I know you do. I've never trusted anyone the way I trust you."

"I feel the same way, Bones," he said as he smiled back at her. "Do you want to get some breakfast?"

"Sure."

As Brennan opened her suitcase to pick out clothes for the day, Booth found himself giving the website another glance. This time he noticed the link for comments. _ There are 76 comments? That's crazy! What are people saying about us?_ When he clicked on the link, he saw that the first twenty or so were people saying "First" or "I'm the first". _ That's stupid. _ Comment #26, in which some guy said that she was way hot and that he wished he was her brother, was the first one that bothered him. But comment #27 really pissed him off. "She has a nice rack?!"

Brennan looked up from her suitcase. "What does that mean?"

"It means that this jerk likes your…" Booth blushed. "Your chest."

"Oh. So it's a compliment."

He let out a bitter laugh. "A completely inappropriate one, but a lot of people on these websites don't really care about being appropriate. Are the rest of the comments that bad?"

"I didn't read them all. I stopped after one that had atrocious spelling errors. You should stop too if they make you upset."

"It's alright, Bones; I can handle it. I want to know what people are saying about us." He laughed at #28, in which a woman called him "Sexy Booth" and said she'd tap his ass any day. _ Sorry, Bones is the only woman for me. _ #29, which described his encounter on the plane with Scott Mahoney, wasn't so funny. _Not one of my prouder moments; thanks so much for telling the whole world about it. The spelling on that one was really bad, so maybe that's where Bones stopped. _ Booth, however, kept reading.

**#30- Joyce says- reply to this**

**She looks so beautiful in that dress!**

_She does…and she looks just as beautiful out of it._

**#31- Sandy says- reply to this**

**I see these two together all the time in the diner where I work. They spend hours sitting in a booth just talking and gazing at each other. It's totally obvious that they're a couple!**

_Thanks a lot, Sandy. Maybe the next time Bones and I sit and gaze at each other for hours I won't be so generous with my tip._

**#32- Brianna says- reply to this**

**Isn't Seeley a brand of mattress? He looks like he'd be fun to sleep on!**

'_Sealy' is the mattress brand, okay? My parents did NOT name me after a mattress._

**#33- Jason says- reply to this **

**I saw them in Vegas last year. He slapped her ass right in front of me. No way they're not screwing each other. **

_Hey, the ass slapping thing was just me playing a character. I would never do that in real life…at least not in public. _

**#34- Ash says- reply to this**

**wow, what a babe. I would bang her all night long. **

_No you won't. First, you don't even know her, and second, that's MY job._

"You're angry," Brennan said when she saw the scowl forming on Booth's face. "You should really stop reading."

"I know I should, but as awful as they are I can't help but—"

Before he could say another word, his half-dressed partner launched herself into his lap and kissed him, once again driving every thought out of his head. "Do you want to keep going?" She asked when she pulled away a few minutes later, leaving him gasping for air but craving more. "Or would you rather read more inappropriate comments?"

Booth grinned as he brought his mouth to hers. "What comments?"

XXXXXXXXXX

After their other appetite was fully satisfied, Booth and Brennan left the hotel in search of breakfast, enjoying a few moments in the bright California sunshine before a group of paparazzi pounced on them. _Parasites! Can't they just leave us alone? I could take out my gun and threaten to shoot them, but then the next Perez Hilton headline would be "Crazy FBI Agent Threatens Paparazzi". I should try to ignore them._

"Dr. Brennan, how long have you been in love with Agent Booth?" One asked as he snapped their picture repeatedly. Brennan didn't answer, but a blush crept over her cheeks.

_She's so cute when she's blushing. _

"Or is this just a casual relationship?" The paparazzo inquired.

_Hey, I'm not a casual sex kind of guy. _

"Why did you tell Jill Croft that you were only good friends?" Another asked.

_We are good friends…very good friends who enjoy solving murders and ravishing each other._

"Are you friends with benefits?" The second paparazzo said suggestively.

_Amazing benefits._

"Give us a smile, Dr. Brennan," a third paparazzo said as he approached her. "Come on, I bet you have a beautiful smile."

_She does. She has a beautiful high kick too. If you have half a brain, you'll stay the hell away from her._

"They're very annoying. Can't you arrest them?" Brennan asked.

"I wish I could, Bones, but they're not breaking any laws."

"Bones?" The paparazzo closest to them said. "Is that your pet name for her, Agent Booth?"

_Don't make me hurt you._

"Give her a kiss!" Another paparazzo shouted, trying to push his way past the others to get the best shot.

_No thanks. A picture of us making out might be a little hard to explain to Cullen. I've been really polite with you guys so far by not pulling out my gun, but you're getting way too close to my girlfriend. _ "Everyone needs to take a step back RIGHT NOW!" He yelled as he moved to shield Brennan's body with his. _ I don't think I can shoot you all, but I'm willing to try. _But the horde of paparazzi ignored him, continuing to swarm around them.

Behind him Brennan pointed to a couple in the distance. "Look, Booth, it's Brad and Angelina!"

"Brangelina! Brangelina!" The paparazzi shouted as they raced each other to their next target.

"What's 'Brangelina'?" Brennan asked when she and Booth were alone again.

"It's how the press refers to them as a couple," Booth explained. _I love it when I get to be the smart one._

She frowned. "That name suggests they've melded into one entity. Just because they're in a relationship doesn't mean they've lost their individual identities."

Booth threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't come up with the name, Bones."

"Do you think the press will give us a name like that?"

Booth winced at the thought. "They might. Maybe something like Temply… or Semperance."

She considered the choices for a moment. "I prefer Semperance, because 'semper' is the Latin word for 'always'."

"You and me together for always. I like the sound of that."_ I want to kiss you right here in the middle of the street, but it's probably not a good idea with all these parasites roaming around…but they should be busy bugging Brangelina. _ He started to lean towards her when he heard the screams of the paparazzi getting closer. "They should have been busy with Brad and Angelina for a lot longer."

Brennan smiled a wicked smile. "Except that that couple wasn't Brad and Angelina."

Booth laughed. "You're the best, Bones. Let's run."

They ran into a restaurant a couple blocks away, but barely had time to congratulate themselves on their escape before a customer recognized them and asked for their autographs. Over the course of their meal, they caught several other customers and waitresses staring at them. Deciding they'd had enough of LA, they left the restaurant as soon as they paid the bill and returned to their hotel, where Brennan arranged for them to take an earlier flight home. After a thankfully uneventful trip, they spent the rest of the weekend lying low in Brennan's apartment. Booth dreaded the thought of going back to work on Monday and wished that the day would take a long time in coming. Unfortunately it arrived at its usual time.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Maybe Cullen doesn't know yet, _Booth thought as he walked into the Hoover building on Monday morning. _We might have hours or even days of normalcy before the big explosion hits. _He made it to his office without being cornered by any obnoxious co-workers, which he took as a good sign. Then he noticed the flashing light on his office phone. When he dialed the number of his voicemail, he heard Cullen's secretary telling him that he needed to meet with the Deputy Director immediately. _Great. So much for the "Maybe Cullen lives under a rock" theory. _With a deep sigh and a prayer, he headed to his boss's office.

"Come in," Cullen called out when Booth knocked on the door. When Booth entered, Cullen motioned to the chair across from his desk. "Take a seat, Agent Booth." Booth unwillingly complied. "Do you remember the last time you sat in that chair?"

_The "If you start sleeping with Dr. Brennan, I'll terminate your partnership" talk? No sir, I was too busy fantasizing about my hot partner to pay attention to that. _ "Yes, sir."

"So you recall that I asked you if you and Dr. Brennan were involved romantically. What was your response?"

_A big fat lie. _"I said that we weren't involved and we never had been."

Cullen nodded. "Correct. Since I've known you to be a man of integrity, I accepted that answer as the truth. Imagine my surprise then when my wife told me that you and Dr. Brennan had become the hottest couple in Hollywood."

"Sir, just because one gossip website says that we're a—"

Cullen cut him off with a bark of laughter. "_One_ website? My wife reads all of them, Booth. She said that every single one of them had something about you two."

_What?! That would make sense if we had started making love in the aisles, but the only thing we did in public was hold hands and smile at each other as we left the theater. There must be more scandalous things going on in the world! _ "Just because a bunch of gossip websites say something is true doesn't make it so."

"I agree that these websites aren't usually reliable sources of information, but the picture they've got of you two after the premiere is quite telling. You looked a lot like a man in love, so I'll ask you again if you and Dr. Brennan are involved. Will you lie to me again like a common criminal? Or will you be the man I think you are and admit the truth?"

_Is there a third choice? _ "Sir, even if Dr. Brennan and I were involved, it doesn't change anything. We're both professionals and we still make a great team. You know the John Skinner case, the guy they found dumped in George Washington National Forest last week? I couldn't have solved it without her, and she couldn't have done it without me, but together we found out that he arranged for his own murder to frame his ex-wife. If you split us up, you'll lose one of the most successful partnerships in the FBI."

"I know that you and Dr. Brennan have worked well in the past, but the FBI policy's on relationships between partners exists for a reason, Agent Booth. Being involved with your partner is a distraction. If you're thinking about sleeping with her while you're on the job, or you're mad at her because you just had a fight, you'll let your guard down, and that, coupled with your sudden rise to fame, puts both of you in danger."

_But I was distracted by those things __**before**__ we started dating! _"I'll never let anything get in the way of her safety…or mine. You have my word on that."

"I'm sorry, Booth, but FBI procedure is clear. I had to assign her a new partner. She'll be working with Agent Sanders."

_You must be joking. _ "He already has a partner."

"Agent Lin has moved to the counterterrorism division."

_Couldn't he take Sanders with him? _"But Sanders is a jerk! He doesn't deserve to work—"

"Agent Sanders is a skilled homicide investigator with more years of experience than you. I'm confident that he and Dr. Brennan will be an effective team."

_That bastard shouldn't even be in a sentence with my Bones. _"I promised her that we'd stay together. Please, sir. Please let me keep my promise. Don't split us up."

"It's already been done. Sanders is on his way to meet Dr. Brennan right now."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Many thanks to my readers for their patience and encouraging words, and to CalleighAryn for her always awesome suggestions. This chapter is the last—hope you enjoy!**

XXXXXXXXXX

_This sucks. _

_This really, really sucks. _

_Is it time to go yet? It's gotta be at least 4:30, maybe 5:00. Where's my watch? Oh right, I took it off because I kept staring at it every five seconds. I think I saw it under some papers a couple hours ago. It's not under this pile…not that one…or that one…it has to be this one…no, wrong again…where the hell did I…okay, there it is._

_3:18?! Impossible. It has to be later than that. My watch must be broken. My phone…I'll check the time on my phone. It will tell me the REAL time. So the real time is… _

_3:18._

_So maybe my watch AND my phone are broken? Or maybe they're conspiring against me? Or—_

_Just suck it up, Seeley. This will be your life for the next two weeks. Two weeks doing endless paperwork because Cullen wants to punish you for lying about your relationship with Bones. Two weeks stuck at your desk while Sanders gets to work beside her._

_Why Sanders? Did Cullen think to himself: "Who should I pick to be Dr. Brennan's new partner? I know! I'll pick Sanders because he's one of the most obnoxious agents in the Bureau. That will really piss Booth off." If Sanders does anything to my Bones, I'll kick his ass…that is, if she doesn't beat me to it. No way that jerk deserves to work with her. He's the most arrogant, annoying, unbearable—_

_But maybe I'm getting carried away. Just because he was a bastard to me doesn't mean he'll be one to Bones. He might even be nice to her._

_Of course he'll be nice. I've seen the way he ogles her when she's in the building. He'll be nice to her because he wants her for himself. He could be trying to make a move on her right—_

"Booth?"

Booth looked up from his desk to find Agent Charlie Hughes standing just outside the doorway. "Can I help you, Charlie?"

"I just saw Agent Sanders and Dr. Brennan on the fifth floor. Did you know about their…situation?"

Booth frowned. "I know that they're partners now."

"Is that all you know?"

A knot of anxiety grew in his stomach. "There's something else?"

"Yeah. You're not going to like it."

Booth jumped to his feet. "Why? Is Brennan hurt?"

"No, no," Charlie said quickly. "She didn't look hurt. She looked good. Very good. She always looks…" He trailed off when he realized Booth was scowling at him. "Anyway, when I saw her just now she was…well, she was…"

"Just say it, Charlie."

"She was handcuffed."

XXXXXXXXXX

_Everyone's staring at me. _

_I've often noticed FBI agents staring at me when I've walked down these halls with Booth. I used to think that it was because I wasn't one of them, but when I voiced that thought to Booth he laughed. He said: "They're not staring at you because you're an outsider, Bones. They're staring at you because you're…you know…structured very well." Yet I doubt that these stares are people admiring my appearance. I think they're most likely wondering why my new partner has me in handcuffs._

_I had almost forgotten how uncomfortable handcuffs are. I remember the first time I was handcuffed, after I shot Ken Thompson. I explained to Booth that Thompson was about to light me on fire, but he arrested me anyway. He apologized repeatedly as he handcuffed me, saying that he had to do it because it was standard procedure. _

_I barely knew him then, but now I know him better than anyone I've ever met. Now that we're together, I could be the one handcuffing him. I could have my strong, alpha male partner handcuffed to my bed, begging for me. But would he actually agree to be handcuffed? He expressed disgust for sex games when we were investigating the pony play murder, but he might play with me if I asked him. I've never had a lover who cared about me as much as Booth does. I think he would do almost anything for me. Even before we were lovers he risked his career and his life to protect—_

_Oh no. _

_What if Booth finds out that I've been arrested? When that detective in New Orleans came to arrest me for murder, Booth pulled his gun on her. If he pulls his gun on Sanders, he could get suspended or even fired. He would be devastated if he lost his career. _

_I won't tell him. I need to take care of this situation without—_

"BONES!"

Brennan whirled around to see Booth running towards her. _So much for keeping Booth in the dark. _"It's okay, Booth. I'm fine. Really. There's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?! So you're not really under arrest?"

_I wish I could lie to him, but I don't know how I would explain the handcuffs. A new partner bonding activity perhaps? No, I'll have to tell him the truth. _"I am, but it's not a big deal. I'll get it sorted out."

"What happened?" Booth asked.

"I'm taking her to booking," Sanders interrupted, grabbing her arm. "You can talk to her later."

Booth blocked their path. "No, I'm going to talk to her NOW."

Sanders tried to walk around him, but Booth moved with him. "Move aside, Booth."

Booth ignored him. "What happened, Bones?"

"I was only trying to defend myself, and he completely overreacted."

"She _assaulted_ me," Sanders spat. "I had every right to arrest her."

"It was hardly an assault," Brennan interjected. "I wouldn't have expected a FBI agent to be so sensitive."

Sanders' eyes narrowed into angry slits. "And I wouldn't have expected a forensic anthropologist to be such a crazy bitch."

Brennan saw a dangerous glint in Booth's eyes. "Don't get upset, Booth. He only said that because he's threatened by my superior intelligence."

Sanders laughed. "No, I said it because it's the truth. Your girlfriend's a psycho, Booth."

Booth clenched his fists. "DON'T talk about my partner that way."

"She's not your partner anymore," Sanders taunted. "And what are you going to do to stop me?"

"If you ever insult her again, I'll—"

"BOOTH! SANDERS!" Cullen's voice rang out through the hallway. "In my office now. And bring Dr. Brennan."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Take her handcuffs off," Cullen ordered Sanders when the two FBI agents and the anthropologist were seated in his office. When Sanders complied, Booth's hands instinctively went to the red marks on her wrists, wanting to soothe her pain away.

"Booth!" Brennan whispered in warning. Remembering where they were, Booth guiltily withdrew his hands.

After rolling his eyes at the lovers, Cullen turned his attention back to Sanders. "You want to tell me why you've arrested the Jeffersonian's top forensic anthropologist?"

"Actually, I'm one of the top forensic anthropologists in the country," Brennan corrected. "Not just at the Jeffersonian."

Booth swallowed back a laugh at Cullen's annoyed expression.

"Alright. Sanders, tell me why you arrested one of the top forensic anthropologists in the _country_."

"First of all, sir, she was hostile to me from the start," Sanders said defensively. "I introduced myself politely and said that I was really looking forward to working with her. She gave me this cold stare and said: 'I already have a partner.'"

Brennan looked at him in disbelief. "What did you expect me to do? Give you a hug?"

"A handshake would have been fine," Sanders grumbled.

"Do you want me to apologize for hurting your feelings?" Brennan asked.

Booth stifled another laugh.

"You'll get a chance to tell your side, Dr. Brennan," Cullen said. "Right now I want Agent Sanders to continue."

"Thank you, sir. So I brought Dr. Brennan the soaker they found last night and--"

"Claudia," Brennan interrupted. "Claudia Peterson. The 'soaker' has a name."

"Fine," Sanders said angrily. "After I brought _Claudia's_ body to the Jeffersonian and Dr. Brennan and the other squints analyzed it, I asked her what her findings were, and she was belligerent."

Brennan shook her head. "I was not belligerent!"

"Yes you were!"

"Do you even know what that word means?"

"Yeah, it means that you were a pain in the ass."

"It means 'warlike'," Brennan said, as if she were a teacher talking to a very slow student. "From the Latin 'bellum', meaning 'war', and 'gerere', meaning 'to wage'. I was not belligerent. I told you my findings accurately and without malice."

Sanders laughed. "You used a bunch of fancy squint terms and refused to tell me what any of them meant."

"I gave you my report the same way I would have given it to Booth. He wouldn't have needed any explanations," Brennan said. Beside her Booth beamed with pride.

Sanders scowled. "Booth isn't that smart."

"He's much smarter than you," Brennan shot back.

"You only said that because you're sleeping with him."

"No, I said it because it's the truth."

"Enough!" Cullen shouted. "Sanders, skip ahead to the part where she does something worthy of an arrest."

"Yes, sir. So after the squints gave me the positive ID on Ms. Peterson, I accessed her missing persons report and saw that her boyfriend, Chris Meyer, was the one who reported her missing. I told Dr. Brennan that I was going to talk with Mr. Meyer, and she announced that she was coming with me. I told her that it would be safer for her to stay in the lab, and—"

"His exact words were: 'I don't babysit squints in the field. Keep your cute little ass in the lab where it belongs'," Brennan interrupted.

"Very professional, Sanders."

"Not now, Booth," Cullen demanded. "Continue, Agent Sanders."

"Well, Dr. Brennan said that she was coming whether I liked it or not and she followed me out to my car. I kept telling her that I wasn't taking her with me, but she wouldn't listen. Eventually I put my hand out to stop her from walking any further and she fell."

"He pushed me. Hard."

Booth glared at Sanders. "You sonofa—"

"It was an accident. I offered her my hand to help her up—"

"It looked like he was going to push me again."

"And she grabbed my hand and tried to break my wrist."

"But I didn't actually break his wrist."

"Only because I was able to snatch my hand back just in time. Sir, we can't have a squint thinking that she can go around attacking FBI agents. That's why I arrested her. I know that Dr. Brennan is a brilliant scientist and all, but she's totally unstable. I'm sorry, but I can't work with her."

"You're not intellectually capable of working with me anyway," Brennan said.

"Bitch," Sanders muttered under his breath.

"Do you have something else to say, Agent Sanders?" Cullen snapped.

"No, sir."

"Very well. Be here tomorrow morning at eight and we'll discuss how you could have handled this situation better. You're dismissed." Glaring at Booth and Brennan, Sanders left the office.

"Agent Sanders may have been out of line, but you two also behaved unprofessionally. Booth, if I ever hear you threatening one of your colleagues again, you'll be subject to disciplinary action. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"As for you, Dr. Brennan, I expect you to treat your next partner with more respect."

"No."

"No?" Cullen repeated incredulously.

"I won't accept another new partner. I'll only work with Booth."

"Letting you and Booth continue to work together would be a violation of FBI policy. Furthermore, the Jeffersonian is a federally funded institution; you're in no position to make demands."

"I don't have to work at the Jeffersonian."

"Bones! You can't leave the—"

"I can. There are universities and museums all over the country that would gladly hire me. If I left the Jeffersonian, my team would go with me. Do you really want to lose our expertise? Do you want to have to explain to your superiors why the FBI's success rates have dropped, or tell Claudia Peterson's family and the families of future victims why the FBI can't solve the murders of their loved ones? Allow Booth to be my partner again, and I'll continue offering my services to the FBI."

Cullen frowned. "I don't appreciate being blackmailed, Dr. Brennan."

"It's not blackmail. It's a reasonable arrangement that will benefit both sides."

Cullen sat in silence for several moments before speaking. "I'll allow you and Booth to resume your partnership after Booth has completed his two weeks of desk duty…but I'll be watching you both closely, and if I find you putting your relationship before your work the deal is off. Understood?"

Brennan nodded.

Booth grinned. "Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXX

"The way you stood up to Cullen was so hot," Booth said as he and Brennan sat in the diner after work. "I wanted to kiss you right there in his office, but I didn't think that would help our cause."

Brennan smiled. "I told Sanders you were smart. What's going to happen to him?"

"Most likely he'll get suspended for a while and have to go to counseling or attend sensitivity training. Poor Sanders." Booth laughed. "In your next book you could create a character that's a real jerk and name it after him."

"I could do that. Speaking of my books, my publicist called this morning. She said that all the publicity from the gossip websites dramatically increased my book sales, and that the Bred in the Bone movie is a hit with critics."

"So now you'll be even more loaded. Congratulations, Bones."

"Thank you."

"You know, I checked those gossip websites today to see if there was anything new about us."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing. They were all talking about Brad and Angelina being pregnant. They admitted it to the press. We're no longer the hottest couple in Hollywood."

"That's a relief."

"Definitely. It'd be impossible to do our jobs if we had paparazzi chasing us all the time."

"We could beat them down if we had to."

Booth smiled. "It's 'beat them _up_', and we should probably try to stay out of trouble for a while."

"We can try, but trouble seems to find us anyway." She held up her reddened wrists as proof.

"Yeah, but, one way or another, we always get through it together…and we always will." He took her hands in his and kissed the marks left by Sanders' handcuffs. "Partners forever, Bones."

Brennan opened her mouth to argue that 'forever' was an irrational concept, but closed it when she saw Booth's loving expression. Gazing at him with the same look of love, she leaned across the table and kissed him. "Let's go home and celebrate our partnership."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated and loved. **


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